Sneak Peek: Shara Henderson and Paul Wesolek

After graduating from college in Melbourne and spending six months in New York, Shara Henderson and Paul Wesolek arrived in London with nothing but their suitcases and cameras. The couple settled in Brockley, London, a leafy suburb in the southeast of London. Luckily, they’ve loved the process of furnishing their home by searching the streets, looking for discarded objects that would become treasured possessions. A favorite haunt is the weekly flea market hosted by the nearby suburb of Deptford; each week, the vendors bring truckloads of goods, and Shara and Paul love nothing more than digging through the piles. When they’re not treasure hunting, both Shara and Paul can be found behind a camera. Shara is a portrait photographer who won the National Portrait Prize a few years ago, a highly coveted photographic portrait prize awarded by London’s National Portrait Gallery, and she also blogs about her life through photography on Daily Polaroid. Paul’s most recent photography endeavor was a series titled La Sylphide Project, which involved working with the Royal Danish Ballet to re-tell the famous ballet, La Sylphide. The Lincoln Center presented his work as a solo show, as part of the ballet company’s recent tour of the United States in July of last year. Thanks, Shara and Paul! — Amy Azzarito

Image above: This is our lounge room where we spend the most time. The afternoon light here is wonderful, and when you have both the windows open in summer, it is almost like having a balcony! The coffee table is the first purchase we made together when we moved into our flat. We purchased it from an antique market in Greenwich and carried it home on the bus, as we don’t own a car. The beautiful owls on the wall are the handy work of my talented brother Darren. Whenever I am visiting family in Melbourne, Australia, I always manage to smuggle a couple new owls into my bag for the return journey . . . Thanks, Dazzie! The Anglepoise lamp is a score from Deptford Market, a steal at £3!

Image above: This is the “Nook,” our attic space upstairs where we have our guest bed and studio space. We spend a lot of time up here in the winter, working hard at our computers, watching DVDs and generally hanging out. The red Perspex chair is an original Kartell chair from Italy, the throw on the bed is from a trip to Morocco and the slippers are from a street market in Paul’s home town of Wrocław, Poland. They are handmade and come in an amazing array of colors.

More of Shara and Paul’s home after the jump . . .

Image above: The lamp, stool, tea cup, tin, horses and framed pictures are all treasures I have found at Deptford Market. The cushion was a gift, the duvet cover is a colourful Ikea purchase and the book by our bed is A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich.

Image above: The large photograph is a portrait I took of a boy named George in New York City. I spent time shooting at the Lasker public pool in Central Park in the summer of 2007 whilst completing an internship with Mary Ellen Mark. What a great summer that was! The vintage photograph is a picture of my parents in the 1960s at one of the many dances they attended, and the vase was a score from Columbia Road Flower Market in East London. I loved it because it had both Paul’s initials and mine on it, so I thought it was meant for us.

Image above: The dinosaur was an eBay find and frequently gets dragged into the bath when my niece Lola has a sleepover. The globe, cat figurine and mirror are from Deptford Market, and the assorted jewellery boxes are from a trip to Hong Kong. The paint colour is Dulux — Brooklyn Nights 5.

Image above: Paul and I have a very healthy collection of photography books, which we never seem to get enough time to read! The Nikon FM2 was my first camera, and even though my camera collection has grown since then, I can’t bear to let her go. The photograph is a landscape I took of the Manhattan skyline in the summer of 2011, as seen on my blog, along with many other photographs reflecting my day-to-day observations.

Image above: The painting is another find from Deptford Market (£4!). I love this portrait and am intrigued about the history of this lovely lady who watches over us. The mirror is from a local charity shop (£2.50), and the paint is Dulux — Night Jewels 2.

Image above: This is where Paul and I spend way too much time! I found the Robert Day Hille Chairs outside a church in Deptford and, surprisingly, managed to cart them home one by one on the front of my bike.

Cedrick the lamp (yes, we like to name our lamps!) was bought from a local store in Brockley, and the table and chair are from Brick Lane Market. The rug was a purchase from a Souk (Berber Market) in Marrakesh, Morocco. It wasn’t a planned purchase, more out of necessity really, as we managed to get ourselves into a tricky situation with some locals, and the only way out was to buy the rug! Upon reflection, I am glad we had to buy it, as it is now one of my most prized possessions. The photograph is a landscape I took whilst visiting friends in Munich, Germany.

Image above: Coffee is essential in our house and is brewed first thing every morning. The stovetop coffee maker is from Vélez-Málaga, Spain, the copper pots are from a car boot sale in the seaside town of Deal, UK, and the teapot was from a charity shop in Wimbledon. In the winter months, we utilize our lovely copper pots for making deliciously warming hot toddies and hot buttered rum.

Image above: The two bowls are a traditional Polish design from the region of Bolesławiec, near the German border. The sugar and tea jars are English-made ceramics by Hornsea, and the smooching boy and girl are from a trip to Amsterdam. The vintage tin and wooden level are treasured finds from Deptford Market (yet again!) — £1 each.

Image above: Prince is our lovely two-year-old tabby who is generally found sleeping on the end of our bed or playing with his brother, Tiger, who lives downstairs in the basement flat of our friends Marc, Marie and their son, Louis.

Image above: The light in our apartment is beautiful and can be enjoyed all year round, as it is situated on the top floor of our Victorian terrace house.

Image above: The view from our window from Brockley to Central London.

I love all the cool little vignettes but seriously wish I could see them in full view with each room to put in some context! Sorry, it’s not a criticism, it’s just that my brain kept asking to see more after each pic and it finally lost it by the cute ceramics on and under the shelves!! I would love to see how it fits with the rest of the kitchen, how high above the counter it is, if it’s next to cupboards or not, and how many shelves and how wide and you see where I’m going? ;D Don’t mind me, I’m in the middle of a dilemma in my own kitchen. Have lots of cupboards but no storage space for a few cool things I want to display. Searching for ideas… Great sneak peek! Show more! :)

I love all the space in this home…and I’m a sucker for a beautiful fireplace mantel. It just makes a room. My mother has a mantel that was found discarded in the garbage…and she’s moved it from home to home. The portable mantel rocks! I highly recommend it, but be sure to anchor it to the wall, so it doesn’t crash onto some poor innocent with the slightest tug.

I love the eclectic mix inside their home, which is to be expected of any homeowners who have creative jobs. I love how they’ve picked items from their travels and their jobs too. You know that these kinds of items will always work within a neutral room.

I need to find out about these flea markets though because it sounds and looks like they’ve discovered some gems.

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